Getting to Know the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition

Questions from a newbie...

Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

For the last thirty years, I’ve been following environmental issues and climate change from the margins: I’ve made donations, read books, and tried to stay informed. I never imagined that in 2023 our Provincial environmental policy would be going backwards at the speed of sound. From a place of shock, and grief, and sometimes (I’ll admit it) anger, I decided that I would have to do more (even though I am an introvert who was looking forward to just doing my own thing as I approach retirement). So I reached out to a local group I was seeing frequently in the papers to see if I could do anything to help. As a new volunteer I had a lot of questions about what the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition (SCGC) does, and I thought if I was confused, possibly other people would have the same questions. Margaret Prophet generously agreed to let me interview her for The Whale, so here is a quick summary of some of my questions and her responses (edited for length). 

Me: How did the SCGC get started?

Margaret: The coalition started as a small group of concerned citizens who were upset about a number of different land use issues in Simcoe County and surrounding areas. The catalyst for creating a more formal organization was the opportunity, in 2017, to meet with David Crombie, who had been assigned the task of reviewing the province’s land use planning policies. The hope, at the time, was to develop a provincial plan that was consistent, integrated, and mindful of future needs.

In 2017 the SCGC became an incorporated non-profit, with the aim of acting as a resource for fifteen smaller, independent community groups. Most were concerned with protecting water, farm land, wetlands, biodiversity and so on. Since then the coalition has grown to over 40 community groups. 

Me: What does the SCGC do?

Margaret: The model of the coalition is to support and elevate the work of the many grassroots local groups who want to promote a healthy environment, and sustainable, just communities for the future. As such, the coalition does a lot of work curating and providing resources and information. This includes reading and interpreting the legislative changes, filing requests for information, providing education for municipal councilors and journalists, and figuring out how today’s decisions will impact our communities now and in the future. We do joint fundraisers, provide communication and networking opportunities, and opportunities such as summer employment for youth interested in environmental advocacy. In general the coalition focuses more on helping our small member groups than on reaching out to the public at large. 

Me: How do people find these local groups?

Margaret: We are working on building a list for our website. Unfortunately we just haven’t had time…but it’s coming. 

Me: How is SCGC funded?

Margaret: SCGC operates almost entirely on donations from private individuals. Environment-focussed grants that used to be available in the past from places like the Ontario Trillium Foundation more or less disappeared once the Ford government came to power. 

Me: How is SCGC structured?

Margaret: We have two part-time staff members, which amounts to 1.25 salaried people, plus nine board members and a number of volunteers who help out whenever they can. We are very conscious of overhead costs and do not have a dedicated office space. We are an incorporated not-for-profit and we do have to cover costs like book-keeping, board insurance, the website and so on. We cannot issue tax receipts because we are not, at this time, a charitable organization; however we have partnered with Small Change Fund who issues receipts on our behalf. 

We usually meet monthly with our board members to decide on our priorities, we have a yearly AGM, and hold ad hoc meetings when needed. 

Me: How do people join if they wish to become coalition members?

Margaret: We have a simple form that people can fill out on behalf of their group or as individuals. 

Me: Could you give me some examples of the type of groups who belong to the coalition?

Margaret: Some of the groups who are members include Living Green Barrie, The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition, CONTACT South Simcoe, and Blue Mountain Watershed Trust. Several of these groups have mandates that are much broader than just Greenbelt protection. Couchiching Jubilee House, for example, supports women and children in need of shelter, food, and life skills.  I like to think that our approach to environmentalism is more pragmatic than ideological. We need affordable housing, strong social supports, farmland, food security, clean water and equitable access to green space and nature. We are driven by our values: compassion, care for the climate, and desire for a more healthy environment for all human and non-human beings. 

Me: If people want to help, what would you suggest they do?

Margaret: For those who can afford it, donations are always very helpful. Even a small monthly amount can go a long way. We have a web page that people can visit, or they can transfer money via email. If you can’t afford a donation, there are a lot of small things that are also very helpful: like signing up for our newsletter, following and sharing our blog posts, or showing up for our occasional events. 

We are very conscious of overwhelm and we don’t expect perfection. People are at very different points in their ability to take on environmental issues. I actually wrote a blog about that recently. The main thing is to start somewhere that is manageable, get informed, and look for support wherever you can find it. 

Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

So that’s it for my questions. Now I’m interested in your questions. I’m hoping to interview Margaret for a podcast some time in the near future, so please leave a comment if there’s something else you’d like to know. 

Weekly News Digest

A reason to have a little hope this week on the battle against the Bradford Bypass: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Ecojustice&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Many experienced activists agree that to move the needle on climate change and care for the environment the stories we tell need to include different lenses. Sophie Strand is an eco-storyteller who is, well, mind-blowing. Check out her sub stack here.

And here’s a sub stack devoted to dealing with eco-anxiety

Laugh for Lake Simcoe

Laugh for Lake Simcoe, the 2nd Annual Comedy Night Fundraiser
at the Orillia Opera House for Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition will be taking place on Friday, May 26.  You can purchase tickets and find out more about the event here.  It's a great way to enjoy the evening and help a close ally of ours that is doing incredible work for the lake.

Share with your Councillors - Housing Webinar

As a part of the SCGC's Community Leaders for a Sustainable Simcoe education series, we co-hosted a panel discussion on housing and how to get the conversation focused on effective solutions.  If you want to learn more yourself or help your local councillors realize that sprawl is absolutely the wrong way to go, then  visit the recording here. 

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